Economic Independence for Women Leaving or Living in Abusive

Economic Independence for Women
Leaving or Living in Abusive Relationships
Discussion Paper
Circle of Prevention
September, 2002
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Woman Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Economic Independence and Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Focus on Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Working Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Toward a Framework for Economic Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Literature Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Local Consultations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Provincial Consultations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Atlantic Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Values Reflected in the Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Defining Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Federal/Provincial/Territorial Strategic Framework for Women’s Economic
Independence and Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Genuine Progress Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Personal Security Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Social Development Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Family Theories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Women’s Economic Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Gender Wage Gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Rich-Poor Inequality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Poverty Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Average Household Expenditures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Unpaid Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Adequate Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Social Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Family Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Saving for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Recognition of Women’s Unpaid Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Safe, Affordable Housing and Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Access to Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Safety for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Access to Legal Advice and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Personal, Education and Employment Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Risks of Economic Independence for Women in an Abusive Relationship . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Government, Business and Community Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Federal Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Provincial Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Municipal Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Non-Profit Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Abused Women’s Economic Independence/Security Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Introduction
Violence against women is a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between
men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men
and to the prevention of women’s full advancement.
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. United Nationals, 1996 p.75
The Problem
Women’s economic independence and security is necessary for the elimination of woman abuse.
Many women living in abusive relationships are very aware of the choice they make: poverty or
abuse. Women who have taken steps to disclose and end the abuse tell us:
• when a woman is no longer accessible for physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional
abuse, the financial abuse escalates
• abusive partners are “creative” in financial reporting, meaning that women and children
do not have access to family finances
• the choice to leave often means social assistance and the stigma of poverty, and lack of
resources for activities children need, including transportation and recreation
• low-income housing, even when priority is given to women leaving abusive
relationships, is often not available or adequate
• there is no support for education and training for employment for women who are not on
social assistance or employment insurance
• employment opportunities are often very limited.1
A recent report states that increasing gender equality and changing intimate relationships are the
two main reasons suggested for the decline in the number of people killed by their spouses in
Canada.2 Accepting that gender equality is contributing to a decline in spousal homicide rates,
the reality is that the gender pay gap has narrowed only slightly in the last few decades. At the
current rate of increase, women will achieve pay equity in 110 years.3
Women need economic security and independence to improve their chances of living free from
abuse in relationships. The collective efforts of individuals, communities, businesses and
governments directed to women’s economic independence and security can speed up the pace of
women’s equality. In addition, unique approaches can address the economic security and
independence needs of women leaving or living in abusive relationships.
1
Devon Dodd, J. & Lund, K. Justice Options for Women. July 01 PEI
2
Bunge, Valerie Pottee. National Trends in Intimate Partner Homicides, 1974 - 2000, Juristat Vol. 22, No
5. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Ottawa, Canada. 2000. p 9
3
Johnston, Wendy. Report Card on the Status of Women in N.B. 2002, A Statistical Profile. New
Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women, Fredericton NB 2002. p. 1
1
Woman Abuse
Woman abuse is the physical, sexual, mental, emotional and financial abuse of women by an
intimate partner, acquaintance or stranger. Woman abuse includes:
• Physical violence - punching, kicking, biting, shoving, or injury with a weapon
• Sexual assault - rape or any forced sex act
• Threats - being told you will be harmed or killed
• Harassment - being followed or called repeatedly against your wishes
• Taking or damaging your property - includes stealing money or things, destroying things
owned by another, and hurting or killing pets.
In spousal relationships one dynamic of violence is the cycle of violence that includes tension-
building, violent incident, and honeymoon - “abuser remorse”. The “remorse” phase leads back
to tension building. If abuse is not stopped, the cycle of violence speeds up and abuse is more
frequent and more severe. Another dynamic is isolation which results from abuser control and
the shame many women feel. When economic dependence and economic insecurity are added
to these dynamics, women’s ability to seek the help they need to stop the abuse or to leave the
relationship becomes even more difficult.
Economic Independence and Security
Economic security is the availability of a steady and reliable source of income to sustain daily
living for oneself and one’s family and to allow planning for the future.4 Achieving economic
security is dependent upon the availability of social and economic supports including child care,
housing, transportation, and public benefits; jobs that provide a sufficient wage and offer
benefits and opportunities for career advancement; education and job training programs; and
asset development opportunities. Women need hope that they can plan for a future with their
children outside an abusive relationship.
Economic security refers to an assured and stable standard of living that provides individuals and
families with the necessary level of resources to participate economically, politically, socially,
culturally, and with dignity in their communities. Security goes beyond mere physical survival
to encompass a level of resources that promotes social inclusion.5 Women who are isolated by
the abuse need the resources for themselves and their children to be included in all aspects of
community life.
Economic independence refers to a condition where individual women and men have their own
access to the full range of economic opportunities and resources in order that they can shape
their lives and can meet their own needs and those of their dependants. It recognizes that women
are economic players who contribute to economic activity and should be able to benefit from it
4
National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women. Toolkit to end Violence Against Women. USA
5
Canadian Council on Social Development. The Personal Security Index, 2002
2
on an equal basis with men.6 Women need to be valued and recognized for the contributions
they make to their children, home, community and economy. Women need economic resources
to make choices for themselves and their children.
Focus on Gender
Federal and provincial governments have committed to strategies for gender analysis in policy
and program development to ensure gender equity. Gender is important not because of inherent
differences between women and men but because men and women are socialized differently.
This results in different expectations about appropriate behaviour and social roles, that lead to
different life experiences and opportunities that result in gender disparities.
Some of the different ways gender matters include:
• women and girls are more affected by a specific problem or issue than are men or boys
(e.g. women are more likely to be seriously injured and killed by an intimate partner)
• women and girls can be impacted differently by a problem (e.g. women fear for their
safety and their lives more than men when there is abuse in a relationship)
• women and girls occupy different social roles such as raising children and elder care -
(e.g. women’s roles of nurturing and caregiving are undervalued at home and in the
workplace)
• women and girls are socialized to play the caretaking role in mixed-gender groups (e.g.
women are more likely to accommodate to men’s requests)
• different opportunities are available to women and girls (e.g. men have opportunities to
earn higher incomes than women, even with the same education). 7
In short, women continue to be disadvantaged by their socialization. Women living in abusive
relationships experience these differences to a greater extent than most women.
While the federal government has committed to gender-based analysis, it acknowledges
problems with implementation including:
• attitudinal barriers - policy-makers who do not see the need for gender analysis are
hostile or dismissive
• operational barriers - issues of time, resources, shortage of data and lack of expertise
• theoretical - decision-makers have the will, but lack expertise.8
The slowness of implementing gender-based analysis that could result in policies and programs
that address inequities between women and men reflects the cultural socialization of
undervaluing women, and positioning men in roles of decision-making and leadership.
Public policy decisions result from a number of factors including statistical evidence, thoughtful
6
Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women. Women’s Economic
Independence and Security - A Federal/Provincial/Territorial Strategic Framework. Ottawa, Canada 2001
7
Mead, Molly. Gender Matters: Funding Effective Programs for Women and Girls. June, 2001.
unpublished molly.mead@tufts.edu
8
Status of Women Canada. Canada’s National Response to the UN Questionnaire on Implementation of
the Beijing Platform for Action. Status of Women. Ottawa 1999 at www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/beijing/quest-e.html
3
consideration, passionate lobbying and the socio-economic status of groups. The beneficiaries of
public policy along a continuum of advantage/disadvantage include:
• the advantaged - politically powerful and socially acceptable groups that typically
benefit from public policies and are regarded as deserving of the benefits
• the contenders - those groups that fight for public policy benefits but are not regarded as
automatically deserving of such benefits
• the dependents - those groups with little political power that are viewed as deserving of
assistance but unable to help themselves
• the deviants - those groups whose behaviour is (in some way) judged socially
unacceptable, and for whom punitive public policies are designed
• the invisible - those groups who cannot get their concerns recognized or put on the public
policy agenda.
The invisibility of women’s inequality and women’s disadvantage means that a goal of gender
analysis should be to move women along the continuum, out of the invisible category and into
the contender and advantaged categories. The steps in the process would include:
• out of the invisible category - take women’s problems seriously, document them, and
define them as public problems
• out of the deviant category - recognize inequities such as labour market and unpaid
work, rather than attributing negative characteristics such as lone mothers on social
assistance are not employed because they lack motivation
• out of the dependent category - change public misperceptions of the capabilities of
women and girls to take charge of their own lives
• as contenders - with the needed skills to actively seek benefits of public policy
• to advantaged - securing women’s unchallenged right to benefit from certain public
policies.9
9
Ibid - citing the first four categories from work of Helen Ingram and Anne Schneider (1993)
4
Working Together
We deny the right of any portion of the species to decide for another portion what is and
what is not their ‘proper sphere’. The proper sphere for all human beings is the largest
and highest which they are able to attain. Harriet Taylor Mill 1850 - England
Achieving women’s economic independence and security means acting from shared democratic
values, setting goals of full participation and full benefit for women as outcomes, and
commitment to work together from women, men, community organizations, provincial and
federal governments and the private sector. Steps of an inclusive approach of working together
include:
1. Identify common understandings and ground rules for working together
2. Lay the groundwork
3. Identify and access information and resources needed
4. Build strategies and work plans
5. Put strategies and processes into action
6. Evaluate joint process and outcomes.10
Toward a Framework for Economic Independence
The desired outcome of a Framework for Economic Independence for Women Leaving or Living
in Abusive Relationships is to increase the safety of women and children and to reduce abuse,
assault, and homicides by developing resources and services that increase the financial stability,
independence and wealth of women and their children.
The context of the framework is the economic independence and security of women. Although
the goals of the framework are specific to women who experience abuse, they can only be
achieved through the economic independence and security of all women.
The two goals of the framework for woman abuse are:
1. Enable women who have experienced violence to become economically
independent so that they and their children do not have to return to an abusive
relationship
2. Help to prevent women from experiencing abuse in relationships by achieving
economic independence
The framework development process was initiated by the Circle of Prevention, an Atlantic
network of representatives of provincial shelter organizations, government violence prevention
initiatives, black and Aboriginal women.
The objectives of the Circle of Prevention are:
10
Women in Public Policy. Steps Toward a Credible and Inclusive Public Policy Process. Nova
Scotia 2000. Available at www.medicine.dal.ca/mcewh/wipp.htm
5
• to increase means and opportunities to learn from each other across provinces and
sectors
• to develop new approaches to family violence prevention
• to help shape public policy.
The framework development process achieves the three objectives of the Circle of Prevention.
The process includes a literature review that resulted in this discussion paper and focus group
materials; focus groups in each Atlantic province resulting in four provincial reports and
provincial meetings; and an Atlantic meeting leading to a Framework for Economic
Independence for Women Leaving or Living in Abusive Relationships. Focus groups and
provincial meetings will be coordinated by provincial representatives on the Circle of
Prevention.
Literature Review
A literature review about women’s economic independence and woman abuse in books, reports
and Internet sites in Canada, United States, Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom, as well
as the United Nations. Women’s economic security and independence has received considerable
attention particularly in international development over the past two decades. The goal of
economic independence for women as a strategy for women’s safety from abuse in intimate
relationships has been recognized since the feminist-initiated battered women’s movement of the
1970s. Recent reports validate this goal and suggest that increasing gender equality is one
reason for the decline in the number of people killed by their spouses.11
Governments in Canada, some states in America, and some European countries have adopted
gender analysis for policy and program development, and initiated strategies for women’s
economic independence and security that recognize the potential to impact violence against
women. For example, the government of Sweden has integrated gender equality into all
government ministries and spheres through mainstreaming gender into the budget process. The
purpose is to make it easier to assess what results have been achieved and to what extent gender
equality policy objectives have been realized.12 However, frameworks for action focussing on
economic security and independence for women leaving or living in abusive relationships are not
as evident.
The literature review included material from the four Atlantic provinces about existing policies,
programs, activities and reports relevant to women’s economic independence and security and
woman abuse.
11
Bunge, Valerie Pottee. National Trends in Intimate Partner Homicides, 1974 - 2000, Juristat Vol. 22, No
5. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Ottawa, Canada. 2000. p 9
12
Ministry of Education, Employment and Communications. Some Gender Equality Initiatives in 2002,
Fact Sheet. Government of Sweden, 2002
6
Local Consultations
A total of twelve focus groups will be conducted in communities in New Brunswick, Nova
Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, that will include at least one in
Aboriginal, indigenous Black, and Francophone communities, and ensure representation of
immigrant and disabled women.
Materials will be developed for the focus groups including a plain-language report of discussion
paper highlights, guidelines and resources for focus groups facilitators. Shelter staff, women
who have experienced abuse, key government and community members will be invited to the
focus groups to identify current issues and emerging trends in economic barriers to abuse
intervention and prevention. The information collected from the focus groups will be included
in a report for each province.
Provincial Consultations
A meeting in each province will: bring together key stakeholders, including women who have
experienced abuse and their advocates; analyze information from the literature review and focus
groups; and identify strategies for local and provincial policy and action. The results of the
provincial meetings will be synthesized into an Atlantic report.
Atlantic Consultation
An Atlantic meeting will: bring selected participants from the provincial meetings together with
policy-makers to develop a Framework for Economic Independence and Security for Women
Leaving or Living in Abusive Relationships. Provincial and federal Ministers Responsible for
the Status of Women and provincial Advisory Councils on the Status of Women will be invited
to participate. The result of the Atlantic meeting will be a framework and follow-up plan.
Values Reflected in the Framework
Values of the Circle of Prevention guide the Framework for Women’s Economic Independence.
They are:
• Right to equality, fairness and justice for all people, achieved through valuing differences
and balancing power
• Processes of action and reflection guided by passion, honesty and genuine caring
• Recognition of and respect for diversity including class, age, race, gender, ethno-cultural
identify, ability, sexual orientation, economic status
• Approaches to change at the personal, relational and system levels
• Personal responsibility of every individual to be aware of and act to prevent family
violence and woman abuse.
7
Defining Success
Outcomes are a description of success that can be measured to show progress towards goals.
The challenge is to select outcomes that are relevant, understandable, useable, realistic with a
long-term view, and demonstrate linkages. It is also important to ensure that indicators point to
the desired long-term outcomes. What gets measured, gets attention and resources, so it is
important to be clear on what defines success. What indicators would best describe progress
toward the desired goal of economic independence and security for women leaving or living in
an abusive relationship?
Many Canadian reports provide ideas on directions for indicators from which to consider those
most relevant to economic independence and security for women leaving or living in abusive
relationships.
Federal/Provincial/Territorial Strategic Framework for Women’s Economic Independence
and Security
Federal-Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women published a
Strategic Framework for Women’s Economic Independence and Security in March 2001.
Acknowledging trends in the economy and labour force, in family structure and in population
diversity and living conditions, the Framework identifies factors having major impacts on
women’s economic independence and security:
• education and training
• labour market
• income and earnings
• balancing employment and family responsibilities
• unpaid work
• power, leadership and decision-making
• violence against women and sexual harassment in the workplace.13
Genuine Progress Index
The Genuine Progress Index (GPI) is an index of wellbeing that goes beyond economic growth
measures to include social and environmental components. Genuine Progress Indicators
include:
• Crime and family breakdown - Social breakdown imposes large economic costs on
individuals and society, in the form of legal fees, medical expenses, and damage to
property.
• Household and volunteer work - Much work in society is done in household and
community settings: for example, child care, home repairs, volunteer work. The GPI
includes the value of household and volunteer work figured at the approximate cost of
hiring someone to do it.
• Income distribution. - The poor benefit more from a given increase in their income than
13
Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women. Women’s Economic
Independence and Security - A Federal/Provincial/Territorial Strategic Framework. Ottawa, Canada, 2001 p. 9
8
do the rich. The GPI rises when the poor receive a larger percentage of national
income, and falls when their share decreases.14
When costing policy changes the Genuine Progress Index provides a more accurate and
comprehensive measure of well being than current measures because it includes natural capital
and social assets. The GPI promotes costing policy alternatives on actual physical data which is
considered the “primary value” and not on monetary estimates that are considered the
“secondary” value. The GPI cautions that the size of costs alone does not tell us whether we are
making progress.15
Personal Security Index
The Canadian Council on Social Development reports annually on the Personal Security of
Canadians according to three key elements:
• economic security in the broad sense of job and financial security
• health security in the sense of protection against threats of disease or injury
• physical safety in the sense of feeling safe from violent crime and theft.16
Social Development Indicators
The Canadian Council on Social Development has also identified 25 key indicators for social
development. The 25 indicators are in categories of income and poverty, jobs, employment,
social supports for families, health, crime, education and civic participation.17
Family Theories
Family theories consider the relationship between spouses or household partners. For example,
the Family Transaction Framework identifies levels as a starting point from which to consider
the impact of policies and programs. These are:
• systemic level - policy, economy, community
• demographic level - gender, employment, income
• situational level - who, when, where, why, how18
These levels can help to situate indicators of progress.
Principles for redesigning family relationships point toward policy directions that can prevent
woman abuse. These principles are democratic and recognize the issues of power in gender and
14
Available at http://www.cyberus.ca/~sustain1/Question/GPI.html
15
GPI Atlantic. Costing Policy Change: A Case Study in Applying the GPI Cost of Crime Methodology to
a Hypothetical Policy Shift from Legalized Cannabis Use to Prohibition of Cannabis as a Prosecutable Offence,
2000
16
Canadian Council on Social Development. The Personal Security Index, 2002.
17
Canadian Council on Social Development. Canada Beats USA - But Loses Gold to Sweden.
http://www.ccsc.ca/pubs/2002/olympic/indicators.htm
18
Peters, Suzanne. Family Transactions: Conceptual Framework. Human Resource Development Canada.
1995 (p.65)
9
family relationships:
• balance freedom and responsibility, self and community
• include women’s interests, taking the politics of gender as seriously as the politics of
social class
• empower children as well as adults of both sexes to participate in decisions that affect
their lives
• organize relationships through democratic dialogue instead of through power
• create a comprehensive welfare system to manage the more widespread risks entailed by
rapid social change and enhanced personal freedom
• reduce violence in family relationships.19
One approach of family transaction theory is to analyze family relationships and the role of
institutions in forming long-term relationships. These theories include areas of cost-benefit,
power and decision-making:
• marginal cost-benefit analysis - where an individual decides to stay in or leave a
relationship by comparing the costs and benefits of the decision to be made (The
Marriage Game: Understanding Marital Decision-Making by Cathy Greenblat, Peter
Stein, Norman Washburne)
• components of family power structures - three components: authority, decision-making,
and influence are affected by who earns the most money; the person who earns the most
money usually makes the important decisions and has power in the marriage; the wife’s
power increases with her involvement outside the marriage; and the more non-
relationship specific human capital the woman accumulates, the more power she gains
(Men, Women, and Change: A Sociology of Marriage and Family, by Scanzoni and
Scanzoni).20
Theories also address violence in the family and economic issues:
• potential for violence increases if lack of economic resources forces a woman to remain
in a conflict-ridden marriage (Hackler p. 205)
• economic conditions of the family contribute to the use of violence in situations of
conflict (Peggy Cantrell et all p. 825)
• microeconomic model of family violence combines economic theory of crime and the
family and concludes that an abuser will use violence if the benefits gained from the
violence exceed the costs of the violent behaviour (Sharon Long, Ann Witte, and Patrice
Karr p. 365)
• benefit-cost ratio of exchange theory shows that if the benefits of the relationship are
seen to be higher than the costs of life outside the relationship, women will stay in an
abusive marriage; staying was influenced by lack of control over at least part of the
family-income and the severity of the abuse (Ida Johnson p. 168)
• while the dynamics of marital violence are exceedingly complex, economically
disadvantaged women with fewer resources have more difficulties leaving an abusive
19
Giddens, Anthony, cited in Scanzoni, John. Designing Families: The Search for Self and Community in
the Information Age. Pine Forge Press. California, 2000
20
Cited at www.rabe.org/thesis
10
relationship; two factors influencing women’s leaving were employment and the duration
of the relationship (Michael Strube and Linda Barbour pp 788-89)21
How can the benefits of living outside an abusive relationship be increased so that women can
make realistic choices to leave?
21
Cited at www.rabe.org/thesis
11
Background
History
“Do you know why there is this concept of “ladies first”? asked Irene. It is because, in
the early days, if we were permitted to walk behind the man, we would run away. If we
were kept in front, they could keep an eye on us. Later on, as we became more tame, they
hated to think a woman they desired would only think of running away, and so they
invented chivalry. Gallantry. The lifting over puddles, the handing into carriages.”
From the novel By the Light of my Father’s Smile. Alice Walker
Women’s economic independence and security is situated in social and economic history,
including the history of the family. Tracing the history of women in Canada from the time of
settlement to the current day shows the economic and social contributions, and status of
Aboriginal, European, and Black women.
At the time of settlement in the 1700s and 1800s, mutual aid and cooperation were part of daily
life. The extended family was evident in a connected style of living close to relatives and
providing mutual support in aspects of social and economic life. In addition, Native women
played a crucial role in the developing economy acting as volunteer interpreters and
intermediaries for the fur trade.
Canada entered an era of social reform soon after Confederation in 1867, and women social
reformers placed emphasis on child welfare, public health, female and child labour, suffrage,
temperance and education. Religious congregations of women provided services to help the
homeless, poor and orphaned children. Black women played key roles in organizations,
especially in Nova Scotia, providing support to churches and schools, and celebrating the
abolition of slavery in the British Empire.
In settlement and rural communities, women were usually dependent on property controlled by
male relatives. In the event a family was not able to care for their offspring, children often
became the kin of whoever was able to care for them. While property was almost exclusively
held by males, and women and children were economically dependent, the harsh conditions
afforded a type of equality of hard-work between men, women and children in the labour of
survival.
The nuclear style of family developed in the later 19th and early 20th centuries to accommodate
the desire for freedom, to marry for love, and for individual economic success that was possible
with urban and industrial jobs. Women’s Institutes were founded by rural women who
anticipated the challenge of urbanization and wanted to overcome the problems of isolation and
depopulation in rural communities.
Women had to fight for the right to vote and were not considered equal to men. A Toronto
association dedicated to the right for women to vote began in 1876, followed by other
organizations such as the Women’s Enfranchisement Association of New Brunswick in 1894,
12
and Ladies’ Reading Room in Newfoundland in 1909. With the exception of Aboriginal women,
women over the age of 21 who were Canadian citizens were granted the right to vote in federal
elections in 1918. The provinces followed: Nova Scotia, 1918; New Brunswick, 1919; Prince
Edward Island, 1922; and Newfoundland for women aged 25 and older, 1925. In 1929 women
were eligible for appointment to the Senate when the term “qualified persons” was declared to
include the female gender.
Aboriginal women living on reserves did not gain the right to vote until 1960 when Natives were
granted the vote in federal elections without losing their registered Indian status. Within their
Aboriginal communities where prior to European settlement women held decision-making
powers, the federal government imposed a band electoral system, and entrenched in law that
Aboriginal women could not vote for Aboriginal leaders until 1951.
The trend toward the nuclear family strengthened following the Second World War. The growth
of residential suburbs returned women, many who had worked outside the home during the war,
to the male-led family home in non connected households. Most women were stuck in the
domain of the home in a society where decision-making power was the domain of men in the
public sphere.
The renewed feminist movement of the 1960s worked to redress gender power imbalance and
increase women’s roles outside the home. Between 1951 and 1999 the percentage of women in
the labour force increased from 24.4% to 58.9%; the female percentage of university enrollment
from 24.9% to 54.8%. At the same time the birth-rate declined significantly from 27.2 births per
1,000 women in 1951 to 12.2 in 1996. While women’s participation outside the home increased,
and the birth rate decreased, women’s marital status with the exception of divorce, changed little
in that time22 with 64.5% of the female population aged 15 and over married in 1951, and 59.1%
in 1996; 0.4% were divorced in 1951 and 5.1% in 1996. The percentage of single, never married
women increased slightly from 25.7% in 1951 to 27% in 1996. The number of women as a
percentage of the total population increased by 1.1% between 1951 and 1998.
22
Status of Women Canada. Women’s History Month. 2001
13
Women and the Labour Force 1901 - 1999 Women in University 1921 to 1998
Per Cent Participation Per cent of Women Enrolled
60 60
50 50
Per cent
40
40
30
30
20
20 10
1921 1951 1981
10 Year
1901 1921 1941 1961 1981
Undergrad Grad
% of women in labour force University
% of labour force who are women
Includes workers and unemployed seeking a job. 1901 to
1941 based on female population over 13 and excludes
Newfoundland. Excludes Newfoundland prior to 1951. Full-time and
part-time graduate enrollment until 1951. All other
full-time enrollment.
Birth Rate 1901 - 1996 Per Cent of Women by Marital Status
Rate per 1,000 Women 1901 to 1996
35
70
Rate per 1,000 Women
30 60
50
Per cent
25 40
20 30
20
15 10
10
0
1901 1921 1941 1961 1981 1996 1901 1921 1941 1961 1981 1996
Year Year
Married Divorced
Excludes Newfoundland prior to 1951. Widowed Single
Estimates prior to 1921.
Includes all married women whether or not they are living with
their husbands.
Excludes Newfoundland prior to 1951.
14
During the 1950s, policy changes supported women’s expanding public roles. In 1955
restrictions on the employment of married women in the federal public service were removed,
and in 1956, legislation guaranteed equal pay for equal work within federal jurisdiction.
Although as late as 1999, sixteen years after an initial complaint to the Canadian Human Rights
Commission and ongoing court appeals, the federal government was ordered to make equity
payments retroactive to March 8, 1985 to federal clerical workers who were almost exclusively
female. In 1978 the Canadian Labour Code was amended to prohibit dismissal or layoff
because of pregnancy; and in 1983 the Canadian Human Rights Act was amended to prohibit
sexual harassment and ban discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and family and marital
status.
In 1967, the federal government established the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in
Canada, and the Commission’s report in 1970 revealed disturbing facts about discrimination
against women and women in poverty.
Women’s autonomy of their bodies was enhanced with amendments to the Criminal Code in
1969 that removed prescribing contraceptives and providing birth control information from the
Criminal Code. It wasn’t until 1983 that the Criminal Code acknowledged the possibility of rape
within marriage. During the 1990s, there were amendments to the Criminal Code on sexual
assault that legally defined consent (1992) and no longer accepted intoxification as a defence
(1995).
In 1985 the Indian Act was amended, restoring status and rights to band membership for women
who had lost their status through marriage to a non-Aboriginal. Although reinstated Aboriginal
women can pass this status on to their children, they cannot to their grandchildren, although men
can. There are currently no agreements to protect the matrimonial property rights of on-reserve
married women.
Women’s Economic Status 23
Depending on which marker is used to assess progress in women’s equality: right to vote (1920s,
1960s for Aboriginal women on reserve); right to work regardless of marital status (1950s); and
right to say “no” to unwanted sex (1980s and 1990s) - progress towards women’s equality is
relatively recent. Women’s economic status including poverty and women’s dependence on men
for economic security, are strong barriers to women leaving an abusive relationship.
Of the 1,000,000 women over the age of 14 who live in the Atlantic provinces, approximately
80,000 are abused.24
23
All economic data is from Statistics Canada, unless noted otherwise.
24
Statistics Canada General Social Survey national estimate is 8%.
15
Gender Wage Gap
Employed or unemployed women’s income is significantly lower than men’s. In 1998, women
in Canada who worked full-time, full-year earned 72.2% the earnings of men. For the Atlantic
provinces, these rates were: Newfoundland and Labrador, 72.3%; Prince Edward Island, 73.5%;
Nova Scotia, 72.7%; and New Brunswick, 69.5%. The average earnings of employed women
(full and part-time) are substantially lower than those of men. In 1998, employed women had
average earnings of just over $22,000 in Canada, a figure that was only 63% that of all men with
jobs. In 1998, the average annual pre-tax income of women aged 15 and over from all sources
was $20,800, just 61% of the figure for men, who had an average income of $33,900. One
author suggests that “aggressive behaviors by male partners against women may be so
commonplace that their effects are located in women’s generally lower wages and occupational
status”.25
Women in Ontario and the Western provinces generally had the highest average incomes while
those in the Atlantic provinces had the lowest. Women living in Ontario in 1998 had an average
income of $22,800; British Columbia, $21,600; Alberta, $20,600; and Saskatchewan, $19,100.
In the Atlantic provinces, the figure ranged from $17,700 in Prince Edward Island to $14,600 in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Although Canada is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, (ranked 7th out of 29th by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1998) in 1997 Canada had
the 5th largest wage gap between women and men full-time workers out of 29 OECD countries.
Only Spain, Portugal, Japan and Korea had larger wage gaps.26
25
Lloyd, Susan. Domestic Violence and Women’s Employment. Available on-line at
www.northwestern.edu.ipc/publications/nupr/nuprv03n1.lloyd.html
26
Feminist Alliance for International Action. Toward Women’s Equality: Canada’s Failed Commitment.
Available on-line at www.fafia.org/Bplus5/altref1_e.htm
16
Income Recipient's Average Income
by Sex for 1995
35000
30000
Income 25000
20000
15000
10000
N&L PEI NS NB Canada
Men Women
In 1998, 2.8 million women in Canada (18% of the female population) were living in low-
income situations compared with 15% of the male population. Females accounted for 55% of all
Canadians classified as having low incomes. There is a dramatic growth in the number of
women who are single parents, representing 19% of all families with children. In 1996, 83% of
all one-parent families were headed by women, and this figure has remained relatively constant
since the mid-1970s. In the Atlantic provinces, women who are single parents as a percent of all
families with children are: Newfoundland and Labrador, 15.5%; Prince Edward Island, 17.7%;
Nova Scotia 20.4%; and New Brunswick, 17.9%.
Rich-Poor Inequality
The income gap between the richest and poorest has grown sharply. In 1990 the richest 20% of
Nova Scotian households had an average disposable income 6.2 times greater than the poorest
20%. By 1998, the income of the rich was 8.5 times greater. Nova Scotia had the second widest
income gap between rich and poor in the country after Alberta. The richest 20% of Nova
Scotian households had 42% of the total annual disposable income in the province up from
39.2% in 1990. The poorest 20% had just 4.9% of the income, down from 6.4% in 1990.
Government cash transfers (including EI, CPP, Old Age Security, social assistance and child tax
benefits) to middle income groups have increased by 73% since 1990, while transfer payments to
the poorest households have fallen by 15%.27
27
GPI Atlantic. Income Distribution in Nova Scotia. NS 2001
17
Poverty Lines
Poverty lines estimated for the year 2000, show $23,892 as the before-tax low-income cut-off for
a family of four living in a rural area; $27,401 in a community with a population of less than
30,000, and $29,448 for a community over 30,000 and up to 100,000.28
For 2000, the estimated annual welfare income for a family of four (couple, two children)
included basic social assistance, Child Tax Benefit, Provincial/Territorial Child Benefits, Federal
GST Cred, and Provincial/Territorial Tax Credits. For Newfoundland and Labrador the
estimated total was $16,787; for Prince Edward Island, $18,924; Nova Scotia, $17,160; and New
Brunswick, $15,627.29 The annual welfare income is far below poverty lines in all provinces.
There has been a steady decline in the estimated number of people on welfare over the past five
years. From 1997 to 2001, all jurisdictions in Canada with the exception of the Northwest
Territories showed a decline. In the Atlantic Provinces the estimated number of people who
received welfare and rate of decline was:
• Newfoundland and Labrador from 71,900 to 54,400 for a decline of 24.3%
• Prince Edward Island from 11,100 to 7,900 for a decline of 28.5%
• Nova Scotia from 93,700 to 66,800 for a decline of 28.7%
• New Brunswick from 70,600 to 52,900 for a decline of 25.1%.30
Minimum wage rates for the Atlantic provinces and the annual income based on a 40-hour work
week by a 52- week work year are:
• New Brunswick - $6.00 per hour / $12,480 annual
• Newfoundland and Labrador - $5.75 per hour ($6. as of Nov 1, 2002) / $11,960 annual
• Nova Scotia - $5.80 per hour / $12,064 annual
• Prince Edward Island - $6.00 per hour / $12,480 annual.
The highest rate in the country is Alberta - $8.00 per hour / $16,640 annual. Annual income
from minimum wage jobs is far below poverty lines for all Atlantic provinces.
Average Household Expenditures
Statistics Canada surveyed households to estimate average household expenditures. There were
4,500 Atlantic households surveyed. The average size of households surveyed ranged from 2.54
in Nova Scotia to 2.74 in Newfoundland and Labrador. The total expenditures ranged from
$43,236 in Newfoundland and Labrador to $48,623 in Nova Scotia, compared to an average of
$55,834 for Canada.
28
National Council on Welfare. Fact Sheet: Poverty Lines 2000. at
www.ncwcnbes.net/htmdocument/principales/povertyline.htm
29
ibid
30
National Council on Welfare. Fact Sheet: Welfare Recipients in Canada. 2001
18
Average Household Expenditures in Atlantic Canada - 2000
Expenditure N&L PEI NS NB Canada
Total 43236 45080 48623 47089 55834
Food 5784 5616 5552 5635 6217
Shelter 6937 7865 8771 7907 10498
Household Operation 2278 2461 2496 2471 2516
Furnishings 1474 1391 1461 1454 1557
Clothing 2259 2104 2047 1992 2351
Transportation 6315 7174 6886 7264 7576
Health care 1131 1261 1328 1306 1357
Personal care 657 706 664 672 740
Recreation 2459 2402 2814 2808 3765
Printed material 206 267 265 233 275
Education 882 760 812 674 826
Tobacco/alcohol 1178 1161 1240 1158 1218
Games of change 217 199 273 246 261
Miscellaneous 614 701 791 746 827
Personal income tax 7719 7483 9361 8683 12012
Personal insurance/pension 2287 2389 2711 2782 3135
Gifts of money 841 1140 1150 1059 1302
Social assistance and minimum wage employment are less than half of the average household
expenditures in Atlantic Canada.
Unpaid Work
Unpaid work includes family-related work of housework, child care and care of seniors. In the
four Atlantic provinces, when the number of hours per week of housework and child care
exceeds 5 to 14 hours, the majority of the work load is carried by women. In unpaid care of
seniors the majority of all care is provided by women.
Percent of Unpaid Housework by Gender
Prince Edward Island 1996 Percent of Unpaid Child Care by Gender
90
Prince Edward Island - 1996
80
80
Percent of total
70
Percent of total
70
60
60
50
40 50
30 40
20 30
10 20
0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+ 0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+
Number of hours
Women Men Number of hours
Women Men
Percent of Unpaid Housework by Gender Percent of Unpaid Child Care by Gender
Newfoundland & Labrador - 1996 Newfoundland & Labrador - 1996
80 80
70
Percent of Total
70
Percent of total
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+ 0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+
Number of Hours Number of hours
Women Men Women Men
19
Percent of Unpaid Housework by Gender Percent of Unpaid Child Care by Gender
Nova Scotia 1996 Nova Scotia 1996
100 90
80
Percent of total
Percent of total
80
70
60 60
50
40
40
20 30
0 20
0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+ 10
0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+
Number of hours
Number of hours
Women Men
Women Men
Percent of Unpaid Child Care by Gender
Percent of Unpaid Housework by Gender New Brunswick 1996
New Brunswick 1996
80
90 70
Percent of total
80
Percent of total
60
70
60 50
50 40
40
30 30
20 20
10 0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+
0 <5 5 to 14 15 to 29 30 to 59 60+ Number of hours
Number of hours Women Men
Women Men
20
The Issues
A woman must have money and a room of her own . . . Virginia Woolf 1929 - England
Women face great challenges when disclosing and leaving an abusive relationship. Some of
these challenges are:
• Fear of injury or even death - women who are separated from abusive partners are five
times more likely to be killed
• Finances - women are compelled by society to rely on men for money and support; a
woman may not want to sentence herself and her children to live in poverty; obtaining
and enforcing orders for child support can be time consuming, emotionally draining and
often fruitless
• Family - relatives can blame a woman for breaking up a family; women are trained that it
is their role to nurture husbands and children and may believe that they are not good
wives or mothers; women try desperately to change their own behaviour in the hope that
the abuse will stop and the marriage can be saved; society is still reluctant to get involved
in “private family matters”
• Faith - some religious groups may pressure women to stay in a marriage regardless of the
abuse
• Father - women are concerned about their children growing up without a father; they are
reluctant to uproot their children from their home; children desire a two-parent family;
children love their father and worry about him and often blame their mother for the
separation
• Fatigue - the abuser keeps a woman so focussed on him and on the immediate present that
she is too physically and emotionally exhausted to plan for a different future; he may
deprive her of sleep and food; he controls her entire life, what she does, who she sees,
when and how long she is out of the home
• Fantasy and Forgiveness - she loves him; she does not want the relationship to end, just
the abuse; he is not violent all the time and she believes his apologies and hopes he will
change
• Familiar Behaviour - it’s what she knows; she can’t imagine leaving and going to
something unfamiliar/unknown.31
Women living in abusive situations are well aware of the realities of women’s lives and the many
factors that contribute to the high possibility of poverty should they leave an abusive partner.
“Women’s persistent poverty and economic inequality are caused by a number of
interlocking factors: the social assignment (given) to women of the unpaid role of
caregiver and nurturer, men and old people; the fact that in the paid work force women
perform the majority of the work in the “caring occupations” and that this “women’s
work” is lower paid than men’s work; the lack of affordable, safe child care; the lack of
adequate recognition and support for child care and parenting responsibilities that either
constrains women’s participation in the labour force or doubles the burden they carry; the
fact that women are more likely than men to have non-standard jobs with no security,
31
PATH Saskatchewan
21
union protection or benefits; the entrenched devaluation of the labour of women of
colour, Aboriginal women, and women with disabilities; and the economic penalties that
women incur when they are unattached to men, or have children alone. In general,
women as a group are economically unequal because they rear and raise children and
have been assigned the role of caregiver. . . women will not enjoy equality, or the
continuous improvement of living conditions, until the gendered nature of their poverty is
addressed.”32
Assisting abused women toward economic independence and security means flexible approaches
that can respond to unique needs that recognize differences in women’s strengths and
weaknesses. This can be achieved by providing safe and confidential opportunities for
communication and listening to what individual women say they need to achieve both safety and
self-sufficiency.
Some of the current issues that need to be addressed to increase economic independence and
security of women leaving or living in abusive relationships are:
• adequate income to support themselves and their children
• adequate employment
• recognition of women’s unpaid work
• access to safe, affordable housing and transportation
• access to child care
• safety for children
• access to legal advice and services
• opportunities for personal, education and employment development
• risks of economic independence for women living in an abusive relationship
Adequate Income
Women need an adequate income to support themselves and their children. Income from social
assistance or minimum wage jobs is not adequate. A self-sufficiency standard is a measure of
income adequacy based on family type and geographic location. It estimates the income level
necessary for a given family to become independent of welfare and includes: housing, child care,
food, transportation, health care, miscellaneous (including clothing, shoes, paper products,
diapers, non-prescription medicines, cleaning products, household and personal items, and
telephone), taxes, tax credits and rebates including child tax credit. A study estimates that in
Philadelphia a single-parent with a toddler and infant would need earnings of $16 - $18 US for
self-sufficiency.33
Social Assistance
32
National Association of Women and the Law. Canadian Women and the Social Deficit: A Presentation
to the International Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. November 1998 pp 6-7
33
Pearce, Diana M. When Wages Aren’t Enough: How the Child Care Works Program Impacts Family
Self-Sufficiency. Women’s Association of Women’s Alternatives, Pennsylvania 1999
22
Social assistance is not adequate to provide economic independence and security. Social
assistance as it is currently structured provides income below poverty lines and low-income cut-
offs, and women often choose to go without the necessities for themselves including adequate
food, to help meet their children’s needs, such as clothing, to join in with their peer group.34
Women with children living on social assistance are treated unfairly by some provincial
governments who reduce monthly payments by the amount of the National Child Benefit. The
federal purpose of the National Child Benefit is to address child poverty and provide incentives
to move from welfare to work. The purpose of incentives to move from welfare to work does not
recognize or value the responsibilities of single mothers for child care nor recognize or address
the barriers to work that would make it feasible for single mothers with children to gain
employment that would support their families.
Women on social assistance need support for personal development that can result in increased
personal satisfaction and improved parenting, and continued education toward employment in
jobs with wages above the poverty line.
Family Assets
Upon separation, a share of family assets and child support are other sources of income for
women leaving abusive situations. However, without adequate legal representation and potential
for early resolution, there is little hope of income in the short-term, if at all. (See Legal Rights
and Access)
Employment
One way of overcoming financial dependence is to have a job. However, the experience of abuse
often leaves women with little energy to take risks. Women coping with abuse struggle daily to
create and maintain safe lives for themselves and their children, and the task of gaining the skills
and education necessary for employment and long-term self-sufficiency is daunting. Further
obstacles to employment include low self-esteem and lack of jobs paying a living wage. Many
abused women need much help, including personal development, education and skill training
before they are ready to seek employment to become self-sufficient.
Workplaces are frequently not equitable and some are not safe for women. The majority of
female workers are not protected by collective agreements which could afford some protection in
pay, hours of work, sick leave, and family benefits. Some workplaces are not safe for women.
Harassment, including sexual, is not addressed even though some provinces require sexual
harassment policies in all workplaces.
Saving for the Future
Economic security means planning for the future. Women need hope that the future will be
better for themselves and their children and saving for the future is a tangible expression of hope.
34
Cooper Institute. Lone Parent Women: Surviving Below the Poverty Line. PEI 1999.
23
Current federal registered education programs require a significant outlay before benefiting from
federal contributions. People with low incomes need opportunities and support to save for the
future.
Recognition of Women’s Unpaid Work
Women’s unpaid work of caring for children and others is unrecognized and undervalued.
Women who work contributed significantly more hours per week to unpaid household care than
men, and women who stay at home are not recognized for their social and economic
contributions.
Women who stay at home to care for their children or others need financial recognition that
provides economic benefit and demonstrates the social and economic value of women’s
contributions.
Safe, Affordable Housing and Transportation
Finding housing is one of the most critical concerns for women who are trying to leave an
abusive relationship. Housing issues that impact on women in or leaving abusive relationships
include those related both to short-term emergency housing (transition houses and second stage
houses) and long-term stable housing (subsidized housing and affordable housing).Housing
issues are even more acute for Aboriginal women especially on reserve, immigrant women,
women with disabilities, physical and mental health, and substance abuse. 35
Economic security means being able to plan for the future and home ownership is one means to
be secure and to plan.
Transportation is not a luxury and women need access to safe transportation to both leave an
abusive relationship and to become self-sufficient. Where public transportation is not accessible,
women need access to cars for self-sufficiency.
Access to Child Care
One of the most costly expenses for many families with very young children is child care.
“ . . .for example, a single parent with one infant and one preschooler requires wages of
$16 to $18 (US) per hour, depending upon where they live, in order to meet her family’s
basic needs, without public or private subsidies. . . . .By subsidizing this cost the
35
Morrow, Marina. Housing: An Analysis of Policies Mapping Policies and Actions on Violence Against
Women. FREDA
24
government helps bridge the gap between the needs of low-income families and their
wages.”36
Child care needs to be available on a flexible schedule to accommodate work and personal needs.
Most organized child care is from 7:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. This does not accommodate evening or
night work, shift work, or other reasons that lone parents require care for their children. Women
need access to child care not only so they can participate in the paid workforce but also so they
can attend training and education programs, health and community services, recreation and
sporting activities, leisure and community activities. Respite care may also be needed especially
for children with special needs.
Safety for Children
In situations where woman abuse is severe and children are present or where there is abuse of a
child, child welfare authorities will likely get involved. When an abused woman sees the only
choices of leaving or staying, she may decide that the better of two poor options is to remain in a
relationship.
“ . . . what do we recommend to child protection workers and court personnel who, with
good reason need the violence to stop? To date, arrest and removal of the batterer are
our preferred answers. But what happens when arrest is a solution that the woman does
not wish to pursue because her partner will lose his job, end up with a record, or have his
probation (parole) revoked and be sent back to prison? Or what if she fears that calling
the police will lead to her arrest? Or maybe she believes that the arrest and prosecution
will harm more than help her family? . . . As we add the police and child protective
services to the inadequate mix of “solutions”, . . . the dilemna grows even more
difficult.”37
Children who are taken into care by child protection services are placed in foster care, and
services are provided to the child’s family to improve the situation in the hopes the children can
return home. The cost of placing children in care is considerable and the benefits aside from
their immediate safety are sometimes questionable. Programs for increasing women’s economic
security and independence could assist abused women to chose safety for themselves and their
children above an unhealthy relationship with an abuser.
Access to Legal Advice and Services
Many women do not have access to legal advice and services to negotiate child support and
division of property. In Prince Edward Island the majority of people who apply for Legal Aid
are women, but lack of funding of legal aid programs makes it impossible for women to have
36
Pearce, Diana. When Wages Aren’t Enough, How the Child Care Works Program Impacts Family Self-
Sufficiency. Women’s Association of Women’s Alternatives, Pennsylvania 1999 p3
37
Schechter, Susan. Building Comprehensive Solutions to Domestic Violence in Expanding Solutions for
Domestic Violence and Poverty: What Battered Women with Abused Children Need from Their Advocates.
Delivered as a talk at the Violence Institute of New Jersey, June, 2000
25
access to legal advice. National and provincial organizations are advocating for legal aid for
family law so that women can have access to legal services.
Aboriginal women living on reserves need agreements to protect their equality rights to
matrimonial property, which is not yet protected.
Personal, Education and Employment Development
Women who have lived in an abusive relationship often need time to heal from the effects of
abuse and to gain self-esteem through personal development before they are ready to consider
skills training or employment. For example, Outward Bound Canada has a 7-day course for
women survivors of violence that builds on individual’s strengths and offers a renewed sense of
self. And, the Bridging Employability Program has four goals:
• empowerment - improving client’s ability to make positive choices
• integration and healing - improving client’s ability to network and gain support from
others
• stopping intergenerational abuse - to assist clients to stop the cycle of abuse, and
• skill development and employment - improve client’s ability to secure and maintain long-
term employment and independence from income assistance.38
While the federal government recognizes that education is key to women’s equality39 barriers to
post secondary education for low-income single parents, mostly women, have increased.
Tuition fees have increased significantly and many provinces have cut off social assistance to
single parents enrolled in post-secondary programs. For women who use student loans for post-
secondary education they have a debtload unequal to men, because even though men and women
may graduate with the same degree, women tend to have lower incomes.
Risks of Economic Independence for Women in an Abusive Relationship
Disclosure and attempts to leave an abusive relationship are usually the most dangerous time for
women. Efforts to address women’s economic independence must recognize the associated
risks.
A survey of 274 victims of domestic violence in transition from welfare to work concluded that
women who are currently abused are less likely to be employed than women who were abused in
the past, regardless of education level or age. The study also found that 70% of women did not
disclose abuse, even though there were benefits if abuse was identified. Women in the study
identified the ways their partner abused them during their attempts to achieve self-sufficiency:
• abuser kept respondent from sleeping
• respondent was threatened to the point that she was afraid to go to work or school
38
Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services. Bridging Employability Program.
Government of British Columbia. Information available at www.weq.gov.bc.ca/bridging-employability/index.stm
39
Status of Women Cnada. Canada’s National Response to the UN Questionnaire on Implementation of
the Beijing Platform for Action.
26
• abuser refused to care for children at the last minute
• abuser called respondent at work repeatedly
• abuser refused transportation to work at last minute
• respondent was beaten so she could not work/go to school
• respondent is afraid former partner will return and harass her if the state attempts to
collect child support from him
• abuser forces respondent to do illegal things.40
40
Moore, Thomas & Selkowe, Vicky Domestic Violence Victims in Transition from Welfare to Work:
Barriers to Self-Sufficiency and the W-2 Response, Summary Version. Institute for Wisconsin’s Future. Wisconsin
1999
27
Ideas
Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Creating meaningful safety for women and children living in violence must go beyond crisis
interventions to include income, housing, transportation, child care, education and employment,
health and mental health care.
Creative ideas and commitment to equality by individuals, governments, businesses and
organizations can result in concrete actions for economic independence and security for women
who are living in or leaving abusive relationships. This list of ideas is a starting point for
discussion and others can be added. These ideas and others can be used to develop strategies for
increasing women’s economic independence and security.
Government, Business and Community Leaders
• develop a public policy agenda on woman abuse and poverty; whether women stay in
their relationships or leave them, they need access to housing, child care, jobs, economic
support
• decision-makers need to better understand the links particularly between women’s
vulnerability to poverty and other equality issues, including the relationship between
poverty and women’s vulnerability to violence; equality issues and women in power and
decision making in business, government and community; and the links between health
and socioeconomic status
• initiate a women’s housing fund campaign and expand programs such as Habitat for
Humanity that support families to buy a home at affordable costs
Federal Government
• implement the recommendations of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women
(1993) that address women’s income inequality and violence, and the 99 Federal Steps
Toward an End to Violence Against Women (1993) that stated women must have
economic alternatives to living in dangerous families
• restructure and target allocation of public expenditures to promote women’s economic
opportunities and equal access to resources to address the basic social, education and
health needs of women, particularly those living in poverty
• provide a guaranteed annual income
• expand the social housing program so that single women with children can afford to
purchase their own homes at an affordable price
• remove incentives to work from the purpose of the National Child Tax Benefit so that
provinces do not claw back the benefit from the unemployed poor
• ensure that all transition houses are accessible to women with disabilities
• ensure women have equal access to lucrative job opportunities
• provide support and prepare women for non-traditional career opportunities
• protect the equality right of on-reserve married Aboriginal women with respect to
matrimonial property
28
• initiate a universal child care system with high-quality, flexible and affordable child care
• recognize women’s unpaid caring work in Canada Pension, Old Age Security/Guaranteed
Income Supplement and increase benefit levels
• develop co-housing communities operating from equality values and active in the
prevention of violence and abuse
Provincial Governments
• implement recommendations in provincial violence against women and status of women
reports
• restructure and target allocation of public expenditures to promote women’s economic
opportunities and equal access to resources to address the basic social, education and
health needs of women, particularly those living in situations of poverty and abuse
• increase social assistance and adjust according to the poverty line of low-income cut-offs
• allow the National Child Tax Benefit to be additional income for people with children
receiving social assistance
• ensure timely enforcement of child support payments
• increase minimum wages
• develop programs that increase options for abused women to keep their children safe in
situations where child welfare authorities are involved
• adopt mandatory pay equity legislation covering private as well as public employers
• establish individual development accounts that match savings to help low-income and
low-wealth families accumulate a few thousand dollars to be used for investments in
education or job training, home ownership, and/or self-employment
• provide access to a full range of education and training options that meet the timetable of
women needing to develop confidence and personal skills
• provide personal development opportunities to help women who have experienced abuse
develop the personal skills to prepare them for education or training for employment with
good income opportunities
• offer support groups and programs for girls to develop independence and self-confidence
and capacity to have relationships of interdependence, not dependence on males
• support a provincial public transit system
Municipal Government
• provide a public transit service
• initiate co-housing projects based on democratic values that respect diversity and
equality, and are violence/abuse free
Non-Profit Organizations
• advocate for non-profit organizations to increase meaningful involvement with women
who have been abused in designing approaches for economic independence and security
• participate in grass roots organizing around issues of economic justice for women and
girls
• work with women’s professional organizations to develop additional resources to
promote women’s economic stability and long-term safety
29
Businesses
• banks and financial institutions provide information and programs that promote women’s
economic independence and security
• banks and financial institutions create special safe accounts for women so that spouses
can not access information
• develop workplace strategies that promote women’s economic independence
• recognize the impact of woman abuse on the workplace and develop workplace programs
that support abuse victims and hold offenders accountable
Individuals
• develop the ability to become economically independent and secure
• educate children and adults about economics and finances with a goal of assisting women
to attain economic independence and self-sufficiency
• provide consistent and frequent information about options for economic independence so
that it is available at a time when women are able to use the information
Conclusion
Safety and lives of women depend on women’s equality, and women’s economic independence
and security. Women living in or leaving abusive relationships need help beyond crisis
intervention to become self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency will increase women’s personal power
in a relationship, give her the option to leave an abusive relationship, and support her to live
independent from unhealthy relationships. While there are issues beyond economic, a
commitment from governments to women’s equality and increased social and economic status
will go a long way to ensuring that women living in abusive relationships have options beyond
poverty or violence.
30
Abused Women’s Economic Independence/Security Framework Appendix A
31
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